The Road Ahead
by only-mj
Summary: This was just something that the two had always done.When the two just needed to get away. Go somewhere just the two of them and talk where no one would overhear. They often found themselves on some random street in one of their beaten down cars. Set in future. Post Canon AU. Mentioned Ardentshipping and Chaseshipping.


He let out a deep sigh, not realizing that he had been holding his breath the entire ride over. His brown eyes slid shut as he tried to regulate his breathing. He gradually released his death grip on the wheel of his car, before putting the vehicle into park. He ran his shaking hands through his hair. He had to do this. He had to.

Another sigh. He could do this. Yeah. Yeah! He could totally do this. He tried to psyche himself up for the first of what would be many many horribly emotionally painful steps in a rather long, lengthly, and sometimes awkward process.

Tristan realized he was doing a really bad job of psyching himself up for this confrontation.

One final deep breath and he was out of the car, rushing towards the house before he could stop himself.

Which was probably a bad idea, he realized as he was ringing the doorbell to his best friend's house sooner than he had anticipated.

Extremely bad idea, he decided when he was greeted by an unsuspecting pre-teen and quickly realized he had no idea what to say to his surprised nephew. "Hey… Buddy…" He muttered awkwardly. "Your dad home?" He asked bluntly, unsure of what else to say.

"Uh… Yeah…?" The kid blinked, not bothering to hide his confusion as he wondered what the man was doing at their house so late at night. "Come on in." He offered before heading further back into the house. "Dad! Dad!" He yelled. "Uncle Tristan is here!"

Tristan stood awkwardly in the living room of the Wheeler home, kicking the floor absent-mindedly and glancing around at the family photos sporadically littering the walls. He felt a pang of guilt as he looked over the photos of the happy family that he currently found himself a part of.

He jumped slightly, snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his best friend's worried voice. "You alright, man?" Joey asked, surprised to see the man turn up unannounced.

"Uhh…" Tristan awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Unsure of what to say. "I uh… We… We gotta talk…" He muttered, heading back out the door. "Borrowing your dad for a bit." He added to his nephew as he re-entered the chilly winter night.

"Tristan wait!" Joey sighed, slipping on his shoes and throwing on a jacket. "Tell ya mom I'll be right back." Joey uttered turning to his son before running out the door behind the other man. "Tristan!"

"Get in the car!" Tristan yelled in response before climbing into his vehicle and slamming the door shut behind him.

Joey jogged to catch up, climbing into the already running car. "You mind telling me what's going on with you?" He asked bluntly as he buckled up his seat belt.

The brunette did not reply back as he put the vehicle in drive, pulling back onto the street far too fast for the neighborhood. Joey sighed, leaning back against his seat.

They did this. This was just something that the two had always done. Back when they were in high school and thought they still had everything figured out. Back when Joey needed to get out of his dad's run-down apartment. When the two just needed to get away. Go somewhere just the two of them and talk where no one would overhear. They often found themselves on some random-ass-street in one of their beaten down cars. Driving off into the dark of night talking about life goals, whether or not college was a waste of time, whether or not 'she' was really 'the one'. Talking about alcohol and drugs, duels and grades, missing the old fighting life, and the loss of virginities. When shit got too real, Tristan and Joey knew they could count on each other, especially in times like this in the front seat of a car on some nameless road.

Tristan let out a sigh, breaking the thick silence between them. Joey glanced over to the driver, not saying anything as he patiently waited for the obligatory confession that always got their conversations started. "I don't think Serenity and I are going to work anymore." He finally managed out, knowing it sounded just as bad as it was.

There was a long pause between the two, Joey staring wide-eyed at his brother-in-law as his words began to sink in. Anger and confusion began to fill the duelist. He turned back to look at the road before them, letting out a small incredulous chuckle. "You, uh, know that's my sister… Right?" He asked seriously. "You're my best friend and all. But I will kill you if I have to." He warned, not trusting himself to look over at the driver. Still not convinced Tristan wasn't messing with him.

If Tristan thought Joey were joking, he would have laughed. Instead, he thought it best to continue what he had started. "I feel like… It would be best… If her and I separated."

"Really!?" Joey snapped, growing angry. "What the fuck did you do that would make you say something like that?! After all you two have—"

"I cheated on her." Tristan blurted out, cutting of Joey and rendering him silent. Taking a deep breath as he braced himself, having not said those words out loud yet since it had happened.

The duelist fell back against his seat, staring at the man he thought he knew in awe. "E-Excuse me? You cheated on my sister?! With who?!" He demanded. "Who the fuck did you think was so great that you could cheat on _your wife_ with, Tristan?!"

His chest felt tight. He knew he was in the wrong. He knew this was as bad as it sounded. He knew Joey would act this way. And yet, this was hard. It was so hard admitting that he had hurt this family as badly as he was about to. He swallowed, gripping the steering wheel tighter as he dropped his voice. "I… I slept with Duke… a couple times…" He admitted softly, keeping his eyes trained on the road as he did not trust himself to look over to his best friend.

Joey stared wide eyed at Tristan for moment before quickly turning away, looking back at the road before them as well. _'Well… This certainly changes things…' _He thought to himself as his eyes slid shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get a handle on the situation as the two drove in silence. "You fucked Devlin?" He asked. Even though he couldn't see it, Tristan nodded. "You have been fucking the man that almost fifteen years ago broke off an engagement to my sister—_your current wife_—so that he could come out as gay. You are now doing the same damn thing to Serenity. Again. Are you serious right now?!"

Tristan sighed, he had completely forgotten about that. He nodded once more. "Y-Yeah… Yeah…"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Joey snapped, throwing his arm down and turning back to the brunette.

"I don't know, man!" He admitted, feeding off of the other man's frustration.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're gay? Are you leaving Serenity for him?"

Tristan grew silent quickly. Those were things he actually had not thought of. He assumed that he would continue to see Duke once everything had blown over. But, could he actually see himself settling down with the other man? And if he did continue to see him, did that make him gay? "I… I don't know, man…" He admitted softly, glancing over to Joey for just a moment before quickly turning back to the road.

"You don't know? You are married to her! You've been married for _ten years_. Shit, man. You have a son! And you didn't think this through? At all?"

"NO." He yelled out, knowing that his conversation was going to be rough, but, dammit, Joey seemed to be bringing up everything that Tristan had hoped he wouldn't. "I guess I didn't…"

Joey sighed, laying his head back and running a frustrated hand through his hair. Tristan had really put him in a position. He was furious with the man at his side as he thought of he hurt that would be falling on their family sooner than later. The hurt that would fall onto his baby sister and only nephew. But if his best friend since middle school was going through some sort of identity crisis, and was about to destroy a decade long marriage over some life-long represses sexuality, that was certainly not something to ignore either. _'Dammit, Tristan…' _"Does she know?" He asked softly, although he suspected the answer.

Tristan shook his head. "Nah. Not yet. I knew that as soon as I told her, you or Mai would be the first people that she would run to. And… I wanted you to hear it from me."

"Well, I appreciate that…" He muttered coldly.

"Look, man. I'm not expecting you to have my back on this—"

"Well good. Cuz I don't." Joey snapped bluntly.

The blonde's harsh words shut them both down. A thick, tense silence filled the car as Tristan turned back around to take Joey back home. The road back was silent and awkward, with Tristan's eyes fixed on the road ahead, and Joey's eyes fixed out the passenger window.

"Look…" Joey started again, finally, as they pulled to a stop in front of his house. "I can't forgive you for what you are about to do to my sister. And I won't. Ever." He spoke seriously, turning to look back at the driver. "But at the end of the day, you're still my best friend. And if being with him makes you happy, then… I guess you have to do that…"

Tristan gave a small smile, completely thrown off guard by his best friend's support. He had not realized how desperately that was what he had wanted. "Hey… Thanks, J—"

His smile quickly fell from his face as he was cut off by a fist in his face. He sputtered back a moment, trying to stop his surroundings from spinning. Once he was stable enough, he turned towards the passenger's side, furious at his attacker. He blinked, surprised to find the seat now empty.

"I will never forgive you." Joey repeated seriously from outside the car, before flashing him a cocky grin.

"Just go." The brunette replied back, putting the car back in drive as the passenger door slammed shut.


End file.
